The invention relates to a method for aligning products with a flat base area, in particular printed products, on the side along a side guide of a conveying device on which the products are conveyed successively while positioned on their flat base. The invention further relates to a conveying device realizing the method.
Printed products which are produced, for example, in a gathering and wire-stitching machine as a rule must be aligned precisely before being trimmed in a trimmer. If all printed products have substantially the same width, they can be centered easily between two vertical belts. However, if printed products of different widths are processed successively, they must be aligned on the side, meaning they must be pushed against one side of the conveying device. Several solutions have already been proposed according to the prior art for aligning printed products on the side.
German patent document DE 0115906 A1 discloses a conveying device provided with a twisted conveying belt and thereto attached, spaced-apart roll discs. For the alignment of the objects on the side, these objects are moved transverse to the conveying direction on the conveying belt as a result of the twisting of the conveying belt.
A side pulling device is disclosed in German patent document DE 202005010981 U1 for which the printed products, conveyed in a sheet flow, are moved with the aid of a suction carriage against an end stop to align them on the side. The printed sheets to be aligned are respectively gripped with the clocking rate and pulled against the side end stop.
German patent document DE 19824835 A1 discloses a device for the side alignment of printed sheets which is also provided with a suction device for gripping the printed products and moving them to the side.
European patent document EP 1620210 B1 relates to a method for aligning flat shipments along a narrow side. These shipments are conveyed while standing upright and are aligned along a lower, narrow edge as a result of their gravity.